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Post by julesd68 on Dec 4, 2020 10:24:15 GMT
Excellent, very interesting Martin.
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Post by MartinT on Dec 4, 2020 12:21:08 GMT
Sounds like a step up is coming Asus getting the VFM award of the year I agree on both counts. Much more listening to do tonight. Need to cover the genres and switch back to the Asus while that's easy to do. |
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Post by MartinT on Dec 4, 2020 12:25:31 GMT
The only (slight) fly in the ointment is that none of the DLNA apps appear to support Spotify. This means I will have to switch the SonicOrbiter app switcher from MPD/DLNA to Spotify Connect and use the Spotify app in order to play Spotify content where Qobuz is missing it.
No biggie, but thought I'd point it out. On the other hand, playing files directly from OneDrive and Google Drive is a big plus. It even shows album artwork properly when it finds a matching JPG file in the folder.
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 4, 2020 16:59:01 GMT
Complicato pooter stuff !
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Post by MartinT on Dec 4, 2020 17:35:30 GMT
Complicato pooter stuff ! All the terminology sounds off-putting at first but it's easily learned and is like any client-server setup: | 'Client' | 'Server' | Volumio app
or browser | Volumio for Pi, Tinker etc. | | BubbleUPnP | SonicOrbiter MPD/DLNA |
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 4, 2020 18:44:45 GMT
Complicato pooter stuff ! All the terminology sounds off-putting at first but it's easily learned and is like any client-server setup: | 'Client' | 'Server' | Volumio app
or browser | Volumio for Pi, Tinker etc. | | BubbleUPnP | SonicOrbiter MPD/DLNA |
I could break it |
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Post by MartinT on Dec 4, 2020 20:06:47 GMT
Tonight the ultraRendu is starting to pull away slightly from the Asus. There is a little more focus, some more snap to rhythms and a really fine sense of flow. I dare say it's had a chance to fully warm up (not burn-in as I bought it used) and that spare PSU has been lying unused for a while.
I'm still listening to streams but I had also decided to move my music files of albums not available in streaming to Google Drive, to load balance a very full OneDrive. Playing some of them, like Little Feat's Shake Me Up and Poco's Blue And Gray, sounds very good indeed tonight.
Yesterday I was unsure about this, especially the user experience, but I'm already getting used to that, and the sound is alluring. What more could the uR bring with the QP-1 PSU and a grounding box on board? I feel I'm going to want to know the answer to that.
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 5, 2020 10:06:21 GMT
We await further updates !
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Post by MartinT on Dec 6, 2020 11:59:25 GMT
More observations: the ultraRendu obviously attends to low clock noise by using a femtoclock and paying attention to onboard linear regulation. This manifests as very solid imaging with depth to the soundstage and disappearing speakers - always a good sign. There is tremendous fine detail but it doesn't throw it at you, rather it presents it in a fully developed 3D soundstage that is wider than the speakers and goes very deep. Dynamic attack is considerable as is bass extension and potency. Above all of that, the music flows in a very infectious manner proving once and for all that digital can do anything that LPs do only much better.
Operationally, you have to get your head around DLNA (although there are other modes such as Spotify Connect and Roon). It's just another kind of music server operating as a streamer. There are many control apps for both Android and iOS and you can pick which one suits you. I have definitely landed on BubbleUPnP for Android as working faultlessly and presenting a nice landscape format for tablets. It supports Qobuz, Tidal and file repositories such as local storage, OneDrive and Google Drive.
I have had no playback glitches so far and the uR software updated second time around (I had errors the first time and just had to understand how to force it all to update again).
The uR runs warm but not as hot as the EtherREGEN. I have an identical heatsink for it. It also sits on three Black Ravioli Pads and has one of my heavy door stop weights sitting on it. It is close coupled to the ER with a 12cm cat 6 ethernet cable.
The next step will be feeding it supercap power. That has to wait until next Saturday.
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Post by Clive on Dec 6, 2020 12:29:52 GMT
You’re hearing the differences I get with the Lindemann Bridge vs the ATB...likewise Femto clock and there’s internal reclocking too. The most obvious initial difference I noticed was stage depth then the detail and ease of listening become apparent. Supercap PS helps too. The good thing is there’s correlation between the uR and Lindemann Bridge: similar tech = similar results. No magic involved, just good design.
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Post by John on Dec 6, 2020 16:06:40 GMT
Nice to see the Limetree app is sorted with Spotify I now regret moving it on, but at the time I was very disappointed with their aftersales service.
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 6, 2020 16:08:18 GMT
Nice to see the Limetree app is sorted with Spotify I now regret moving it on, but at the time I was very disappointed with their aftersales service. Good enough reason to move on John |
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Post by John on Dec 6, 2020 16:16:20 GMT
It is a bit better than the Tinkerboard but 6 weeks of being with manufacturer and no idea when it was coming back was just to frustrating for me
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Post by Clive on Dec 6, 2020 16:35:15 GMT
I feel for your 6 week struggle John. I don’t know if it makes you feel any better...but the Source is better still but that’s a harder judgement to make as it includes a DAC and preamp. I’m listening to the differences between Source and PecanPi while I type this.
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 6, 2020 16:36:20 GMT
It is a bit better than the Tinkerboard but 6 weeks of being with manufacturer and no idea when it was coming back was just to frustrating for me Out of order A principle for me is to actively avoid bad companies and that lot sound bad to me |
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Post by Pinch on Dec 7, 2020 9:41:59 GMT
Nice to see you go down this route, Martin. I'd thought that the streamer was the one link in your chain that could be improved - the ATB is obviously very good for what it is, but lacks the noise prevention/reduction that you get with something like the Sonore. And - as I recall - the consensus seems to be that the Mutec responds well to a clean/er USB signal. My experience was certainly that an improved PSU for the streamer made for an obvious and nice difference, so look forward to that!
Once covid is over I'll have to bring my streamer and USB interface over to yours again and see how they fare in the new set up!
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Post by MartinT on Dec 7, 2020 10:01:23 GMT
Hi Tom, nice to see you around after a break. Yes, you've got it in one, the lower noise ultraRendu combined with the Mutec clearly makes a difference, despite the retrograde reduction in PSU quality. There is nothing like custom design and this is where the Sonore wins through over the ATB in clock and noise performance.
I'm looking forward to getting it on the Coherent supercap PSU next Saturday. Yes, you are welcome to come over again once some normality has been established.
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Post by John on Dec 7, 2020 13:51:45 GMT
I think the power supply should also add a bit more finesse to it Martin
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 7, 2020 14:04:37 GMT
I don't bet but I bet it will add quite a bit !  |
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Post by MartinT on Dec 12, 2020 17:54:19 GMT
The ultraRendu now has 8V supercap power, courtesy of a Coherent QP-1, and I am able to finally give my thoughts to how it operates and sounds.
Operation
I am mighty impressed by the stability of the ultraRendu running SonicOrbiter 2.8 operating system, based on Linux. Similarly, the BubbleUPnP control app running on Android. I haven't once needed to reboot either of them and it has played music the moment I have walked in and selected a song, first time, every time. This is how it should be but this level of reliability is new to me. I normally stream from Qobuz but I have also played files from both OneDrive and Google Drive, and done a little streaming from Spotify, too. All of these sources are available and selectable in BubbleUPnP except for Spotify which plays from the Spotify app with the uR set to Spotify Connect mode.
At first, I didn't like the BubbleUPnP app much but that appears to have been just my resistance to change, having become thoroughly used to the Volumio interface. Now that I can find my way around, it works fine and I can access my Qobuz playlists and search for music just as easily. There are a startling number of customisation settings available and I have found the setup that suits me.
The ultraRendu runs only slightly warm but I have still placed a heatsink on top to keep it cool during the summer months. It doesn't run nearly as hot as the EtherREGEN. It sits on Black Ravioli Pads and there is a heavy door stop weight on top to control vibrations.
Sound
With supercap power, as expected, the sound has taken another step upwards. It comfortably outperforms the Asus Tinker board based streamer I was using previously, not that that reflects at all badly on the very much less expensive Asus.
The noise floor has dropped again. The sense of space, of being in another room while the music is playing, is more palpable than before. Voices and instruments hang in space, fully formed and with shape. Dimensionality is impressive, with depth to the music going far back and stage width going beyond the speakers.
Music is fluid, rhythms expressed very well and everything entices you in. It's not just the obvious dynamic moments, it's the way the performance ebbs and flows quite naturally. Playing some of my toughest test songs, this is the least harsh my system has sounded since going hi-res with Qobuz and the LKS. Sharon van Etten in Jupiter 4 has her voice very harshly recorded but now it's quite listenable and I can hear that it's a poorly selected microphone placed too close to her. Amber Coffman in Get Free is even harsher, setting my teeth on edge. Now, I can play the song all the way through and enjoy other moments in that song.
However, well recorded songs are even better than ever. Everything I am playing reveals new things, little rewards from music that I am so familiar with. Micro-detail abounds. Noise is non-existant (except for the natural noise of the recording). Bass power and extension is present and accounted for.
The ultraRendu might be seen, at $875, as a bit pricy. My view is that there are plenty of higher ticket streamers out there. If you're prepared to feed the uR with very good quality power, this little device is not going to disappoint. It forms a truly excellent new core to my digital system and I am thoroughly delighted.
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